The outlandish 75-minute comic fantasy tells the story of Rebekah (Maxine Peake) an innocent and beguiling Northern girl who accidentally becomes Chief Executive of News International and gets caught up in a seventies Watergate-style scandal.

Produced by Great Western Features for Gold, 'The Comic Strip Presents... The Red Top (WT)' marks a welcome return of the nation's favourite anarchic comedy collective. No one is safe from the irreverent wit of legendary British comedy filmmaker Peter Richardson in this surreal and hilarious script.

The film brings together a roll call of universally treasured British comedy greats, alongside exciting new comic talent. MAXINE PEAKE will play the title role alongside NIGEL PLANER as Rupert Murdoch and RUSSELL TOVEY as Andy Coulson. JOHNNY VEGAS, ALEXEI SAYLE, HARRY ENFIELD, JAMES BUCKLEY and JOHN SESSIONS will also star in the film alongside ELEANOR MATSUURA as Wendi Deng.

STEPHEN MANGAN will reprise his role as Tony Blair, and creator PETER RICHARDSON will also make an exciting appearance.

Creator Peter Richardson said, "Like our previous Comic Strip satire - 'The Hunt For Tony Blair' which was set in the sixties, 'The Red Top (WT)' lampoons the phone hacking scandal and the world of politics and press proprietors, and is set in a colourful seventies 'Boogie Nights' style parallel universe with a disco soundtrack. I'm thrilled to have such a fantastic cast. It should be huge fun."

Commissioning Editor for UKTV Simon Lupton said, "There's nothing quite like The Comic Strip anywhere else in the world of comedy and so it's incredibly exciting to be part of this next chapter. The script is wonderfully hilarious and playful, and as always the cast list is an embarrassment of riches. The Comic Strip history is littered with iconic moments, characters and performances, and I'm confident Peter and his team will be creating some more with this latest installment."

Steve North, General Manager for Gold added, "Gold is the nation's go to place for quality comedy and nostalgia, we are delighted to welcome Comic Strip back to the channel and look forward to seeing what anarchy Peter and Pete will bring to the new film about one of the hot news topics of the last 10 years."

'The Red Top! (WT)' will be the second outing of the Comic Strip on Gold, following the 30th anniversary special 'The Comic Strip Presents... Five Go To Rehab' in 2012, three decades on from the group's debut 'Five Go Mad In Dorset' in 1982.

'The Comic Strip Presents... The Red Top! (WT)' was commissioned by Simon Lupton for UKTV. Executive Producers are Peter Richardson and Nick Smith for Great Western Features, and Simon Lupton for UKTV. The new film has been written by Peter Richardson alongside Pete Richens and Brigit Grant.

The brand new commission follows a raft of exciting original scripted announcements for Gold, including Bull, a three-part studio sitcom fronted by Robert Lindsay. Bull comes to the channel in Autumn alongside Marley's Ghosts, a heartwarming comedy featuring Sarah Alexander, John Hannah, Jo Joyner and Nicholas Burns. Also coming to Gold is originally scripted Legends of Stand-Up & Bernard Righton, a six part series where John Thompson resurrects his legendary alter ego to celebrate the worlds greatest comedians.

Notes to Editors:

About Gold (Sky 110, Virgin 126, TalkTalk 408, Top-Up TV 20)

Dedicated to celebrating the best of British comedy, Gold is the nation's favourite comedy channel. Much-loved comedy series such as Only Fools and Horses, The Vicar of Dibley and Outnumbered sit alongside successful commissions including Porridge: Inside Out, The Comic Strip Presents: Five Go To Rehab (starring Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders), You, Me and Them, Bring Me Morecambe and Wise, Monty Python Live (mostly): One Down Five to Go and the ultimate Python documentary Monty Python: The Meaning of Live. The perfect tonic to make you laugh whatever the time of day, Gold shows universally funny content that everyone can enjoy.
Gold.uktv.co.uk / @goldtvchannel

About UKTV

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